Fastener or clasp for articles of apparel



(No Model.)

C. E. MIXER 8a C. L. LEWIS. FASTBNER 0R G LASP FOR ARTICLES OP APPAREL.

No. 573,829. Patented Dec. 22, 1896.

` f. ceed to describe in detail and pointout with UNITED STATES PATENTOEEICE. i

V CHARLES E. MIXER AND CAROLINE LEVIS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS;

FASTENER OR CLASP FOR ARTICLESV OF APPAREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,829, dated December22, 1896..

Application led April 1'7, 1896. Serial No. 587,902. (No model.)

fo cir/ZZ whom, it mctz/ concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. MIXER and CAROLINE L. LEWIS, of Boston,in the county of Suifolk and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners or Olasps for Articlesof Apparel, of which the following is a description sufficiently full,clear, and exact to enable those skilled in the art to which itappertains or with which it is most nearly connected to make and use thesame. y

This invention has relation generally to fas teners or clasps forarticles of apparel; and it has for its object the provision of afastener or clasp which shall be a perfect substitute for thehook-and-eye form of fastener and have advantagesl over and fields ofuse beyond the hook and eye.

To these ends the invention consists of a fastener or clasp comprisingin its construction two membersLeach of which may be formed from a pieceof sheet metal, one member consisting of a base-plate provided at thesides ofits forward end with upturned guidingears and a part bent overupon the baseplate with its free end terminating `between the said earsand bent into the form of a catch, and the other member also consistingof a plate of metal having the inner end doubled or bentjinto the formof a latch adapted to engage the catch of the other member, theconstruction beingsuch that the latch maybe guided by the ears andslipped under i and engaged bythe catch, so as to hold the members inclasped or connected position when draft is made upon' the members inopposite direction, but so that when the connected members are buckledor bent back the catch will be raised or sprungupward andthe latchreleased, all as we will now proparticularity in the appended claim.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings, and to the lettersmarked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same lettersdesignating the same parts or features, as the case may be,.whereverthey occur. i

Of the drawings, `ligure l is a rear View of a garment or two piecesoffabric having the fastener or clasp thereto, the whole beingrepresentedon an enlarged scale. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of thefabric `orgarment on:

the line 2 2, showing the invention in side elevation. Fig. 3 is 'asectional View of the fabric and invention, taken on the line '-5 3 `ofFig. l, `showing the fastener in clasped or f in which they will be` onthe instant of being rIheinvention consists of two members, one

of which we have for conveniences sake termed the catch member, and theother the latch member. The former or catch `member is composed, asherein shown, of a piece of sheet metal bentupon itself, so as form abase-plate a and a spring catch part` bl .A The free end of the lattervpart is bent,

asshown, so as to constitute acatch c, preflerably frounded on` itsouter surface, for a purpose to be presently eXplained.

The catch c is thus an to4 itself.

The plate a and the spring-catch part b are substantially parallel,except that the end of the latter is first bent out before it isdoufbled upon itself, as shown at c, so as to form ,an angular recess.`offset or bead formed of the end of the part `b bent double atsubstantially a right angle The base part c has on the sidesof `itsinner end two lipsor ears CZ, turned upward at right angles to the baseot, in order to guide thelatch memberiin'its movements, as Will bepresently described. L f

`Th base-plate ot is provided at its inner end and extending outwardfrom the sides thereof` with ears e, which are perforated, as at f, forthe purpose of forming eyes through which thread may be sewed to attachthe catch member to a garment, as is clearly shown in Fig. '1. The innerend of the base- Aplate a mayalso be provided with a hole or eye g fortheyreception of sewing-threads or for a' similar purpose, as isindicated in Figs. Sandri. i

The latch member consists of a base-plate h, the inner end of which isbent over and down in triangular or wedge-shaped form, so as to providea latch or catch t' to engage IOC the catchof the part bwvhen the latchis slipped under the said part, as shown. outer part ofthezlatch whichengages the The f catch is curved so as to adapt it to more easily slidethereunder and be disengaged therefrom. The outer part of the base-plateh is provided with eyes jfer the purpose of receiving therethroughsewing-threads to attach the said latch member to the opposite part of agarment, as is most fully shown in Fig. l.

In use one member will be attached to one part or piece of a garment orarticle of apparel and the other member. to another part or piece, andin order to connect the clasps the latch member h will be thrust underthe part b of the catch memberand be engaged by the catch c of saidmember by reason of the resilient proprieties of the said part Y), andas is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. In this position the memberswill not be disengaged by any considerable draft that may be put uponthe parts of the garment to which the members are attached -With atendency to pull them apart.

To disengage or unclasp the members, it will be necessary only to placea inger of the hand in front of the garment to which the parts areattached and bend or buckle the same inward, as it were, to a centralpoint, so as to spring the plate or part b outward and allow the catchpart t' to slip past or from under the catch c, as is most clearlyillustrated in Fig. 4.

It will be observed that there is no projection or extension of thecatch part l) beyond the catch c, so as to cause an accidentaldisengagement of the parts or so as to in any wise interfere with theoperation of the clasp or to render the same in any degree uncomfortableto the wearer.

The ears d may in some instances be dispensed with, though they serve asa guide for the entry of the latch member 71. under the catch c of thecatch member, and if need be the outer ends of the ears d may be made todare outwardly, so as to more readily engage the latch with the catch.

It will be understood that in the drawings the parts are represented onan enlarged scale7 and that where the fastener or clasp is to take theplace of a hook and eye it may be made quite small, though where itmaybe employed as a glove-fastener, a garment-supporter, or as a claspfor the waistband of trousers, or any similar case, it may be made on amuch larger scale. Furthermore, it will be understood that thefastening-eye g may be dispensed with, or it may be differently locatedor disposed, as may also the other eyes of the two members.

In all cases the part b of the latch member will be made resilient andthe catches c and t' be so constructed as that they may not hold rigidlyone upon the other, but be slipped one past the other frictionally afterthey have been separated to a considerable extent.

Instead of providing the members with thread eyes, as shown anddescribed, fastening-prods may be struck up from the parts for thepurpose of attaching the members to a fabric, much in the same manner aspaperfastenings are used to connect several sheets of paper.

IIaving thus explained the nature of the invention and described a Wayof constructing and using the same, though without attempting to setforth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes ofits use, it is declared that what is claimed is- A fastener or claspcomprising in its construction two members, each formed from a pieceofsheet metal, one member consisting of a base-plate provided at the sidesof its forward ends with upturned guiding and hold ing ears d and a partbent over upon itself, as at Y), to form a catch, and the other memberalso consisting of a plate of metal adapted to be passed between thesaid ears and having its inner end made into the form of a catch c, theconstruction andarran gement of the parts being such that the latchmember may be guided by the ears d and slipped under and engaged by thecatch to hold the members in. clasped position, but enable the same tobe buckled or bent back to raise the latch upward and release the memberfrom clasped position, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 6th day of March, A. D.1896.

CHARLES E. MIXER. CAROLINE L. LEXVI'S. lVitnesses:

ARTHUR W. CRossLEY, C. G. STECHER.

